Superb French double at the European Mountain Bike Championships.
In control after taking the lead early in the race, Loana Lecomte won the gold medal in Munich, ahead of her compatriot Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, defending champion.
The rain had made the Munich circuit impassable in places, but the French women were very comfortable in the mud, relegating their competitors, including the third, the Dutch Anne Terpstra, to more than two minutes.
LOANA LECOMTE IS EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPION!
First continental title for the 23-year-old Frenchwoman, who took advantage of a (long) mechanical problem (derailleur) from Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in the 3rd lap.
PFP saves the silver medal.
Anne Terpstra completes the podium.
#Munich2022 pic.twitter.com/GL8VRDLuJt
— The Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) August 20, 2022
Defending champion, Ferrand-Prévot got off to a powerful start, which put her in an ideal position to go for the gold.
But the Frenchwoman had a mechanical problem on the third lap, when she was thirty seconds ahead of her compatriot, and had to put her chain back on her own, on a derailleur full of mud.
A delicate operation, which forced her to start a minute behind Lecomte, when she seemed the fastest on the mountain bike.
Heading for the Worlds
The youngest of the two, varnished by this twist of fate, did not have to be asked: she took the lead never to leave it again and managed her gap on her pursuer until the end, sometimes approaching certain passages on foot. particularly muddy.
She finally crossed the line with a lead of about thirty seconds, which gave her time to savor her success, a big smile on her bike, before welcoming her runner-up as she should.
This is the first title of European champion for Lecomte, only 23 years old and already winner of seven rounds in the Mountain Bike World Cup, of which she won the general classification in 2021. This year, she had already won two races, before putting his season on hiatus, just like Ferrand-Prévot to focus on his two main objectives: this European championship and, above all, the world championship, next Sunday in Les Gets.
Once again, the French should play the leading roles.
